Petra

The order of these pictures starts with the road to the Siq, the Siq, and through Petra to the Monastery (the farthest point I traveled).

Petra was the capital of the Nabataens which built a trading empire around 200 BCE. At its peak, Petra was the home to about 30,000 people until 363 CE when an earthquake leveled most of the freestanding structures and the city slowly faded into obscurity. The Nabataens were known as superb hydraulic engineers and had many channels and cisterns to store the infrequent rain, important for living in such an arid region. The best known entrance to the city is the Siq; a 200 m deep passage that winds through the over 1 km of rose red sandstone that surrounds Petra. The Siq was a ceremonial entrance and the trade caravans came up the other Wadi (river beds) to enter the city.

The iconic image of the “Treasury” is the first sight you see as you exit the winding Siq; immortalized in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” as the resting place of the Holy Grail. Actually it is a tomb of a Nabataen King and has only a few shallow rooms off the entrance. Turn right and as you walk along the “Street of Facades” you pass at least 40 other tombs carved into the stone walls. Many are easy to explore. Then you come to a colonnade with the “great temple” on one side and several Byzantine churches on the other. The purpose of the “great temple” is still a mystery. Inside it had a theater for 600, as well as a large pool with steps, perhaps for swimming. Whether it was a temple, civic building or something else only future excavations (currently underway) will tell. Across from the “great temple” is the Petra church which has amazing Byzantine floor and wall mosaics on display, it is well worth the climb. Just past the colonnade is the Qasr Al-Bilt, temple (dedicated to the Nabataen god, Dushara) one of the last free standing structures in Petra. Despite it being heavily damaged in the 363 CE and 551 CE earthquakes, most of the temples 23 meter walls remained standing due to the wood built into the stone walls for earthquake bracing. Across from Qasr Al-Bilt are a crusader castle and a bar/restaurant with a pretty good buffet. After wandering 8 km through this stone city you will want a drink, so ride the donkeys to different sites when you can.

Up to 1985 (when UNESCO declared Petra a World heritage site) Bedouins made these tombs into houses and refused leave until the Jordanian King personally asked them to. They are still allowed to sell trinkets and jewelry in Petra. All speak some English and are polite and friendly to tourists.